


Candles

by dorkpatroller



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Body Worship, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Post Game, Trans Male Character, leo spoils him, mpreg if you REALLY squint, overworked niles, porn too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 16:45:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18921037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkpatroller/pseuds/dorkpatroller
Summary: Niles has been working so hard to be better. He's supposed to marry Leo, to be a Prince of Nohr, but how can he be when he has to scramble to impress all of these political figures and to hide away the past? He just needs a gentle reminder that Leo fell in love with him the way he is, and not with some image of perfection.





	Candles

He hasn’t got a tie for it but while he speed-walks down the hall to his room Niles pulls his hair up off his neck and tries not to pull it out at the roots. He could kill any one of those fat old bozos who make up the court. It wouldn’t even be difficult. If he didn’t  _ really _ need them to like him he would probably have considered that a viable option. 

 

It’s just that he’s doing his best, okay? He’s working his ass off every day to get up early, go out, make a name for himself, and turn his life around. He’s supporting relief efforts, he’s heading a campaign, he’s dressing nicely, he’s behaving like a  _ prince should,  _ and what for? They don’t appreciate it. Maybe there are some people out in Nohr who will look at him and say he’s a high ranking military official and he’s going to marry the second prince of Nohr… but the people who  _ matter _ are just looking down on him the way they always did. 

 

_ You’re making Leo look bad. _

 

He sucks in a deep breath through his nose and pushes it out through his lips just shy of a whistle. Niles could spend his whole life--every waking moment--trying to please those geezers. They’ll never see him as anything more than a rat who waltzed right in off the street. They’ll keep whispering about how he’s only even alive because Leo pitied him, and then they’ll go about their business wondering if he’s somehow manipulated Leo into this marriage. 

 

He didn’t. He wouldn’t. Niles drops his hair back onto his neck and looks down at the engagement ring twisted around his finger. He never imagined he would have one at all, not really, but if he had imagined it he would have envisioned something plain and cheap. He would never have imagined delicate, white gold vines of ivy circling his skin, he wouldn’t have dreamed of diamonds mingled with the leaves. 

 

Leo proposed to him. It wasn’t the other way around, and Niles was hesitant to say yes. He knew this would happen. He knew that marrying a prince meant he would have to be three times as diligent about his own behavior. The crude comments, the snarky remarks, the things that never mattered before… they would now. His appearance in public has always reflected on Leo a little bit, he’s always done his best to represent him well, but now his appearance is transforming from a  _ lowly retainer _ to a  _ prince.  _

 

He’s out of his comfort zone. He’s out of his comfort zone, he’s out of his league, and he’s out of his mind because he thinks he smells roses when he stops in front of their door. Leo’s door. Niles doesn’t rightfully live in his quarters yet but he may as well for how often he sleeps here. Five seconds ago he had every intention of pushing his way into this room, walking right past the desk Leo was surely working at, and falling onto the bed to nap away the rest of this dreadful day. 

 

Now he wants to know why the hallway smells like roses. 

 

He pulls down on the handle and pushes the door open. He expects Leo to be at his desk, but he’s not. There are two black, spiraled columns that stand on either side of the chamber doors, and each one has a pillar candle lit and burning away. That’s where the rose scent came from. 

 

It’s unlike Leo to leave a candle burning when he isn’t around. Niles takes the opportunity to bend down and unfastens his boots. He leans against the door on one foot to tug off one and then the other, and he sets them out of the way against the wall. Once that’s done he starts walking towards the back of the chambers. Through a door there is the bedroom, but Niles’s hand hesitates on the handle. 

 

He can hear the shuffle of Leo in their bedroom. He could be asleep, just turning over in bed, but that’s unlikely. Niles doesn’t know what he expects when he opens the door, but it’s not this. 

 

Leo’s bed has thick canopies but they’re always pulled back and tied to the posts. This time one side of it is down, causing it to seem a little more intimate. The far side is hanging low with dark, red fabric, so Leo stands out against it. Not that he’s nude or anything, he just looks… comfortable. In his nightshirt and with his legs bare. There’s a book to the side of him, so he doesn’t seem bored. 

 

Aside from the canopy there are candles lit and it’s dim. The curtains are all drawn so no light can get in. All there is is the bouncing light of the candle wicks. They’re the same candles. Rose scented, like he’s breathing in a flower garden. 

 

“Leo?” He asks. Leo looks like he belongs in a painting. He doesn’t even seem real. Maybe this is all a dream? But it isn’t. He sets his book aside and stands up. He usually wears that shirt with pants. It’s just long enough to keep him decent, but his thighs are milky white and  _ tempting _ when he comes to a gentle halt in front of Niles. “It looks almost like you were expecting someone.” 

 

Leo rolls his eyes, but a smirk tugs at his lips. He narrows his eyes just a touch and he reaches up to begin working down the buttons of Niles’s shirt. “I was hoping to have a guest tonight, yes.” 

 

“Is there some special occasion? If it’s our anniversary I’ve forgotten.” 

 

Leo hesitates in unbuttoning Niles’s shirt at the last button. Then he chuckles under his breath. “We’re not married yet, Niles. We don’t  _ have _ an anniversary yet.” 

 

“Your birthday, then.” 

 

“Not for a few more months.” 

 

“My birthday?”

 

“No, not that either.” Leo tugs at Niles’s shirt until it’s untucked properly, and then he pushes it back off his shoulders. He leans in remarkably close to do that, and hesitates to kiss Niles’s collarbone. It’s almost startling how soft it is. His lips move delicately past sensitive, nearly ticklish skin until he meets where his neck and his shoulder meet… and then he stops to slide the shirt off of Niles entirely. 

 

“I’m afraid I don’t know the occasion, love,” Niles mumbles. He turns to kiss Leo’s ear. He misses, catches the side of his jaw instead, but that’s fine. He slides his hand up to play through the ends of Leo’s hair. It’s always so trim and lays just right… but he never does complain when Niles plays with it anymore. 

 

“There isn’t an occasion,” Leo mutters back. He slides his hands up Niles’s back and rakes his nails along it gently. It just feels soothing, like he’s trying to comfort him. He doesn’t even know the terrible afternoon he’s had, but he’s chasing it away. “I’ve decided you’re trying far too hard. Take these off.” 

 

He tugs gently at the belt of Niles’s pants. He shrugs his shoulders and complies. He hasn’t been tasked as Leo’s retainer in a while now. He was relieved of that when he took on the challenge of marrying him. Niles catches the corner of Leo’s jaw, this time on purpose, in a kiss. Then he nips just for good measure, and mutters against his skin. “You’re sexy when you boss me around.” 

 

“Hush,” Leo mumbles back. He steps back and sits on the side of the bed, there with his knees together and his weight on his hands, relaxing. Niles pushes away the remainder of his clothes, just leaves his underclothes on before he joins him. He makes a point to lay his hand over Leo’s.

 

There’s a moment where they’re just silent. Eventually, Leo speaks up. “You’re overworking yourself,” He whispers. “I’m sick of it. I can see it’s wearing you down and it’s taking away something I value: the mischief in your eye.” 

 

Niles finds his lips curling into a smile. Leo, valuing mischief? It sounds absurd. “I’m only doing my best to do right by you.” 

 

“Yes, and I hate it,” Leo goes on to say. He turns so he’s better facing Niles. A breath later he’s pulling at his hand, until Niles has to shift his weight and let Leo pull his hand right into his lap. He plays with his fingers, fiddles with Niles’s ring… and then smiles at it. His chest heaves with a sigh. “I love you exactly as you are.” 

 

Niles leans forward and presses a kiss against Leo’s forehead. Leo closes his eyes. “I can’t tell you to stop what you’re doing, because you’re right. With Xander taking the throne the entire royal family has to work harder than ever to undo everything our father did. Now that you’re going to be part of it you’ll have to help shoulder that burden. That doesn’t mean I’ll sit idly by while you act as if you have to mute your personality.” 

 

He dips his nose against Niles’s and while he does Niles thinks his entire world is coming to a halt. Not a bad halt. It’s not a crash, it’s not a wall. It’s just slowing down in this beautiful way where the colors spin and time disappears. Maybe he has been working to hard. Maybe Leo is right? 

 

Or maybe tomorrow he’ll pick up exactly where he left off, but Leo obviously staged this intervention to tell him this. Leo’s lips catch on his cheek before he finally sits back. 

 

“Let me spoil you, for once.” The candle light flickers through Leo’s eyes and bathes over the exposed bit of his chest. 

 

“Aren’t I already being spoiled?” Niles whispers close to his lips. He leans closer and slots their lips together. Imagine his delight when Leo runs his tongue along the seam of their lips. But that’s all he does before he pushes Niles back with his hands settled on his chest. 

 

“This is the beginning,” Leo promises him. He pats Niles’s thigh. “Go lay down. I want to rub your back.” 

 

“With these hands?” Niles picks up Leo’s wrist from where it’s sitting against his peck, but then he kisses each fingertip along Leo’s hand. “I could never allow it. You’re too good for that.” 

 

When he gets to Leo’s thumb, Leo brushes the pad of it along the length of Niles’s lower lip. Then he smirks. “You’re not my husband yet, Niles. Lay down, now. I’ll make it an order.” 

 

“Feisty.” 

 

He catches the way Leo rolls his eyes, but the smile playing at his lips gives him away. Niles would never make Leo order him to lay down anyway. He doesn’t know that he needs a massage, but he does know by now that Leo values him and loves him. It’s not a matter of if he deserves to be with Leo, because he already knows. Leo wants him. He deserves happiness. It’s more a matter of Niles working overly hard to try and make sure the rest of the world can see that. 

 

He lays down in the center of the bed and pulls a pillow to tuck under his chin. Oh, sleep. He wanted to sleep when he came here in the first place. He wanted to sleep with Leo curled up behind him, holding him and reminding him that he’s wanted. 

 

This is just as good. Maybe even better. Leo joins him on the bed and he settles with his thighs hugging either side of Niles’s hips. He sits there, makes himself comfortable, and he trails his fingertips down the length of Niles’s spine. 

 

This is definitely better. 

 

The oil he uses is thin but scented not too differently from the rose candles. He doesn’t know what it is, but if he had to guess he would say lavender if only because that’s the only other flower smell he can think of off hand. He closes his eye and hums when a few drops dribble from Leo’s fingertips and onto his back… and he outright groans when Leo pushes his weight into rubbing out his shoulder blades. “Oh,” he mumbles into the pillow. “That’s nice.” He didn’t even know he was tense until Leo touched him, and now he thinks he would give up anything to stay like this forever. 

 

For a few minutes neither of them say anything. He keeps his eye closed and he focuses on the way that Leo moves his hands along his back and neck. Some of it hurts at first, but then after a few minutes it dissolves into a pleasant feeling. Like he’s genuinely working away all of the stress that has built up in the past six months. 

 

Eventually he feels Leo shift his weight. He rests his hands on Niles’s shoulders and bends forward to whisper in his ear and kiss the shell of it. “Are you asleep, Niles?” 

 

“If I was I think your crawling on me would wake me,” Niles whispers back. He grins and rolls onto his side, just to make Leo fall and so he can lean over him and kiss his neck. “When do I get to return the favor, hm?” 

 

“Tonight is about you,” Leo says. He reaches up and rubs his thumb under Niles’s eye. This time he has a smile on his lips though, not worry. “My apologies, but you won’t be repaying any favors tonight.” Leo squirms and Niles isn’t willing to keep him trapped where he is. He lets him squirm away, and he’s rewarded for it honestly. Leo tugs down the waistband of Niles’s underclothes and only a moment later they’re dropped onto the floor. “You won’t need these.” 

 

“I won’t, will I?” Niles grins. This is better than sleeping. 

 

“You won’t,” Leo repeats. He settles to sit between Niles’s knees and rubs his open palms along his hip bones. For a moment he almost looks hesitant. He looks back up at Niles through dark lashes. He drums his fingertips along Niles’s hips. Whatever causes the hesitation dies in the form of a kiss. Leo leans over him and kisses his hip just above where his fingers are caressing. Then he moves his kisses up. With each brush of his lips against the dips and scars and angles of Niles’s skin he crawls further over him. Past the bend of his waist--Niles flinches where it tickles and Leo hums playfully. His lips trail up over his abs, onto his chest, and just shy of his nipple he stops to  _ bite _ . 

 

Niles dips his head back into the pillow and hisses. It’s unexpected, but oh it’s a good pain. If he could purr he would be with how Leo sucks at his skin after that, and then massages it with his tongue and leaves one farewell kiss over a brand new hickey. 

 

Niles draws his fingers up through Leo’s hair. Soft, thin strands of gold that slip between his fingers without any tangles or knots. He catches his bangs with his thumb, only to catch a glance of Leo’s eyes flickering up to meet his from where he’s still kissing his chest. Dark, rich brown, lit by something special. A light that only burns for Niles. A light no one else gets to see. 

 

“Are you relaxing, Niles?” Leo asks. Niles grins. Relaxing is a funny way to say horny. He pulls gently at Leo’s hair and Leo sees it in him to reward him. He leans forward and kisses his lips. He nibbles at his bottom lip and stops drawing out what they clearly both want and need. He shifts his weight to one hand and uses the other to reach under himself, between them, until he can grip Niles right around the base of his cock and give him a good squeeze. 

 

He groans, and the moment he does Leo coaxes his tongue past Niles’s lips and playfully runs it along his teeth. He wins. Niles could play cool and like he doesn’t need or want or even deserve this, but he’s been  _ good.  _ He’s gone to important meetings, he’s sat in on things he didn’t care for, and he’s behaved like a good prince-to-be. He’s earned Leo’s affection, he’s earned Leo’s ring, and right now in this very moment he thinks he’s earned a good fuck, too, if the way Leo is stroking him to make sure he’s nice and hard is any indication. He is, for the record. He probably has been since that little love bite. 

 

Leo starts to shift just right. He makes a point of rubbing the head of Niles’s cock around the moist heat of his groin. He was never wearing anything under that shirt, was he? But he  _ is _ wearing the shirt, and that’s not fair. “Wait,” Niles breathes. He pulls at the fabric. “You’re spoiling me? Show me that beautiful body.” 

 

Leo lets out a breathy laugh, but he does cooperate. Maybe he’s just shy. He’s always been just a hint protective of his own body, and Niles doesn’t mind. But Niles has loved him and held him for far longer than their engagement. The firmness of his chest and the tingle of magic that shapes it are something his hands are often drawn to. Perfect, perky nipples, who can resist? Niles reaches up and brushes his thumb past one while Leo resumes his previous task. He’s  _ perfect.  _ And if he’s shy now it’s because of a gentle curve to his middle, because he’s putting their beautiful, little secret on display… and there’s no reason to be shy about that—it’s just another wonderful way their lives are changing together. “Better?” He asks.

 

“Beautiful,” Niles echoes back. Leo sinks down onto his cock all at once, like he’s made for it. He doesn’t hesitate and he’s  _ so eager.  _ Niles, alternatively, thinks it’s the hottest thing in this world when Leo takes him all at once like that. He reaches out for his hips as an instinct to help balance him, but all he ends up doing is digging his fingers into his skin to ground himself so he doesn’t lose it at the very beginning. It’s a real concern!

 

Niles wants to say he’s exceptionally well versed in dirty talk in bed. It would really fit into the persona he built for himself to spook people from getting too close to him. The reality is he can barely find the energy for words  _ at all _ in bed. Noisy, yes, but only because Leo has the power to draw whines and moans out of him only dogs can hear if he tries. 

 

Leo is setting the pace today. There’s nothing say that Niles can’t play along, though. So when Leo braces his hands on Niles’s chest--and this time he’s the one distracted by playing with nipples--Niles waits for a slow lull in his rhythm and bucks his hips up to rip a yelp of a moan from Leo’s throat. “Well I’m glad you’re eager to please,” he pants, “I won’t mind being ever so slightly spoiled too…” 

 

“Oh, you will be,” Niles mutters. There’s just no way he would do anything shy of show Leo the stars in the sky. He repeats the action of thrusting his hips up to meet Leo’s on the way down and he’s so happy to hear him moan again. Maybe Leo wanted to spoil Niles, but letting him see him like this, hear him like this… this  _ is _ spoiling him. He’s completely ruined for anyone else… and with plenty of good reasons. 

 

Their chatter dies out into pants and gasps and a mingle of moans until Niles knows he’s right on the edge and he thinks Leo needs to get there too. He slips his hand from his hip and just as Leo is leaning down to suck another welt into his neck, Niles rubs his thumb past his clit. Leo’s entire  _ body  _ stutters, but it’s in a good way. “Niles,” he whines through his teeth where he’s still biting his skin. “You know I’ll cum…” 

 

Niles turns his head. It knocks Leo off of his neck and Niles’s lips land on Leo’s cheek in an effort to kiss him any way he can. “Want you to,” he whispers. He rubs his thumb in a slow, sweet circle and listens to the way Leo comes undone near his ear. “Wanna feel it.” 

 

Leo’s voice cracks when he stutters out Niles’s name after that. It’s easy to tell when he’s falling over the edge. His thighs get tense, so tense, and his movements stall so Niles can take the wheel. He just needs that angle to stay the same to get him there, and Niles would never ruin a moment like this. Especially because his reward for it is Leo falling to pieces all around him. His arms give out, he tumbles on top of Niles’s chest, and even though Niles keeps one hand steady on his hip to make sure he gets himself there too, he thinks it’s safe to bring his other hand up to trail circles in the milky skin of Leo’s back while he shudders in his aftershocks. 

 

Be it during or shortly after, the way his body flutters and clenches and contracts around Niles is always enough to get him too. It’s his favorite way  _ to _ cum, really, because he finds that lust mingles beautifully with pride in having been the one to make Leo cum too. 

 

They’re just a mingled pile of limbs and unsteady breathing for a while. Niles closes his eyes and really he thinks he could fall asleep just like that, with Leo’s weight just shy of crushing on his strained lungs and chest. It’s a comfortable sort of crushing. He never wants him to move. 

 

But he does. Just to lift his hips and slide off to the side of Niles. He doesn’t make any sound. Maybe he’s found that he’s tired too. He nuzzles his face into the crook of Niles’s neck. “You’re forbidden to go to any meetings tomorrow.” 

 

Niles hums. He can feel Leo smile against his neck. “Is that an  _ order,  _ milord?” 

 

“If it has to be,” Leo yawns. “Stay with me. The whole day. I’m not through reminding you how much you mean to me.” 

 

“There’s no question in my mind about that.” Niles runs his fingers along Leo’s back long after his breathing evens out and he falls asleep. He doesn’t have to go out of his way to prove how much he loves Niles. He doesn’t have to reward him. But if it’s because Leo truly wants to prove it anyway, or if maybe he’s just seeking a little attention himself in lieu of Niles having less and less spare time… tomorrow will certainly be a much needed day to themselves. 

 


End file.
